Human combat is the ultimate proving ground for equipment design and function. Lives depend on the durability and functionality of an infantryman's equipment. Proper equipment and the maintenance thereof is a key factor in mission success or failure. Firearms used in combat or in remote hunting locations are extremely susceptible to having their barrel bores clogged with mud or debris. Worse, a cartridge case swollen under pressure inside a hot, dirty firearm cartridge chamber, or a projectile, bore brush or broken piece of cleaning rod stuck in the bore of a firearm, will render the firearm useless until the obstruction is removed. These are critical situations for combat troops. Firearm bores can become so hopelessly obstructed that the obstruction must be forcefully driven from the bore with a cleaning rod. This situation presents multiple problems when utilizing ad hoc, traditional or even most commonly available tactical weapon cleaning equipment.
Precision firearm cleaning rods are often constructed of a single piece of steel or stainless steel and are impractical to carry in combat because of their excessive length and the weak construction of their handles, which are not designed to withstand the abuse and corrosion commonly associated with exposure to the elements and/or combat. Furthermore, most precision cleaning rods are made of a single length of spring steel coated with a polymer coating, or are made of uncoated stainless steel or carbon fiber. All three types present problems unique to each in a combat or remote hunting environment. The polymer coating on the coated rods is susceptible to having sand embedded into the coating. Sand is harder than bore steel, and the embedded sand creates an “emery board” effect, damaging the bore of the firearm. The uncoated stainless steel rods are impervious to sand embedding; however, they are prone to peen the lands of the bore as the rod flexes while traveling down the bore. Carbon fiber rods will not withstand the force required to physically drive out a critical bore obstruction.
Commonly available take down or sectional cleaning rods are often constructed of steel, stainless steel, brass, or aluminum. However, the section joints are often weak and frequently break. When this occurs while the rod is inside the bore of a firearm, a section of cleaning rod (sometimes with a bore brush attached) also becomes stuck in the bore, thereby compounding the problem. Furthermore, the section joints of many sectional cleaning rods are often poorly machined to imprecise tolerances and often mismatch where they join. This creates a “file effect,” thereby damaging the bore of the firearm. Additionally, changing directions before a cleaning brush has exited the bore will often cause a critical bore obstruction requiring force to clear.
In addition, traditional cleaning rod handles are not designed to be treated roughly, much less struck with enough force to clear a critical bore obstruction. Often, if the user uses his or her hand to strike the rear portion of the cleaning rod handle with enough force to dislodge a critical bore obstruction; the rod itself can be driven through the handle and into the user's hand, thereby damaging the rod, injuring the user, and still possibly not clearing the bore obstruction.
Size and weight are also critical factors for war fighters and hunters in remote locations who must carry all equipment with them with little or no chance of re-supply. Excessive weight is undesirable, and multi-function equipment yields both space and weight savings, saving the war fighter or hunter physical exertion. These are lifesaving issues in combat and remote hunting scenarios. Bore snakes and bore cables were created to solve the size and weight issues, but lack the rigidity and strength required to remove a critical bore obstruction.
Having the proper equipment immediately accessible to maintain the warfighter or hunter's weapon/firearm is vital to the success of a combat mission or hunt. In a critical bore obstruction situation, the first priority for the warfighter or hunter is to clear the bore obstruction so that the weapon is again operable. Secondly, this must be accomplished without damaging the firearm, which is often very expensive. Thirdly, the maintenance equipment must be easily and compactly carried and secured against loss afield.
Although firearms cleaning kits firearm cleaning devices of both rigid and flexible designs have been designed and offered for both civilian and military applications that address common firearms maintenance and cleaning requirements under normal circumstances, users often experience difficulty utilizing these kits successfully when addressing critical bore obstructions in combat or extreme hunting circumstances, ultimately finding them severely lacking, if not unusable. In some instances, substandard cleaning equipment compounds an already critical bore obstruction situation. A critical bore obstruction requires specialized equipment and forceful action to resolve.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved firearm maintenance tool that interfaces with a portable cleaning rod and provides a tool drive capability. In this regard, the various embodiments of the present invention substantially fulfill these needs. In this respect, the firearm maintenance tool according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of interfacing with a portable cleaning rod and providing a tool drive capability.